Car-seal.



GAR SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED HOV.8.1905.

137 Vania/:2

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UNITED STATES FRANK W. GREENE AND ONO PATENT oEEroE.

B. EMERSON, OF *WATEEVILLE,

MINNESOTA.

CAR-SEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906.

8. 1905. Serial No. 286.326-

To all whom it may concern:

Be -it known that we, FRANK W. GREENE and ONO B. EMERSON, citizens of the United States, residing at WVaterville, in the county of Le Seuer and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Seals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to car-seals, and has for its object to provide a seal adapted for use in sealing car's and also for various other purposes which while efficient for the pur oses had in view is of small cost and is capa le of being very quickly and easily a plied in working position. The seal herein' ustrated is very much in the same line, but is designed as an improvement on the seal disclosed and shown broadly in application Serial No. 282,361, filed by Ono B. Emerson on October 12, 1905.

The device specifically illustrated in the said prior application was formed at that end of the ribbon-like body which was to beinserted into the lock pocket or head with laterally-bent lips for engagement with lockprongs within the said pocket or head. These laterally-bent lips, while efficient for the purposes had in view, are quite likely to be flattened down or bent out of shape in handling and shipment.

In the present device herein illustrated the insertible end of the ribbonlike body of the seal is made perfectly fiat and is simply provided with a single perforation in which looksprings within the lock pocket or head of the seal are adapted to enga e.

i The present device, like the device disclosed in said prior application, is made from a single thin piece of sheet metal stamped and bent to proper form.

Another feature of improvement found in the present device is in the arrangement of interlockin parts whereby the two ends of the ribb'on 'ke body are interlocked so that they cannot be given even limited endwise movements to any perceptible extent when interlocked.

The improved seal is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate likeparts'throughout the several- VIGWS.

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the complete seal with its ends interlocked. Fig. 2 is a view, partly inside elevation and partly in section, on Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the seal opened up and laid out substantially flat. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3, and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are enlarged sections taken on the line 00 m of Fi 1.

Referring first to the blan shownin Figs. 3 and 4,.the numeral l indicates a long ribbonend an integrally-formed head 2 3 and having at its other end a perforation 4. The head 2 3 is made up of two parts that are adapted to be folded together to form the lockvided with interlocking or interfolding marginal portions 5. These foldedv edges 5 may, if desired, be further secured together by solder, rivets, or by brazing. The part 3 has adepression or laterally offset portion 6, that forms the seat or cavity in the ocket of the completed seal, and this latera y-offset portion is provided with a flat portion or extension' 7. Said extension 7 is stamped or out from the same piece of metal from which the part 3 is made and may be cut and formed in various different ways and shapes and may be bent and turned in any one of numerous ways.

The extension 7 is formed with a perforation 8 and with a lip 9, which latter is bent at an oblique angle to the portion 7. The extension 7 is rolled or bent inwardly and downwardly over the part 6 of the head 3 and is provided with the curved portion 14, and this rolling and bending give the curved portion 14 and the extension 7 the resiliency and character of a spring. The spring 10 is stamped or out from the same piece of metal from which the head 2 is made and may be cut in various forms and shapes and may be bent and turned in any one of numerous ways. It is bent or rolled inwardly and upwardly over the head 2 and is also provided with a curved portion 14 and this rolling and bending give the curved portion 14 and the spring 10 resiliency and the character of a spring. When the head 3 is turned down and clamped over the head .2 to form the pocket of the completed seal, the curved portions 14 come into contact and effectually close the door or opening-into the pocket of the line m of Fig. 1. 4

like body of the seal, the same having at one pocket of the completed seal, and they are pro- ICC the seal. The spring 7 normally points upwardly inside the pocket, and its own resiliency and spring character cause it to seek the inner face of the pocket on the side formed by the head 2 and cause the lip 9 to rest in the groove or bulge 13 before the seal is placed in a locked position, and the spring 10 points upwardly inside the pocket and its own resiliency and spring character cause it to seek the inner face of the pocket on the side formed by the head 3, and in doing so the lip 11 of said spring 10 projects through the perforations 8 of the spring 7.

When the blank is formed into the completed seal and before use, the curved portions 14 close the opening into the pocket, their outer faces being in contact, and the springs 7 and 10 yielding only when the outer end of the seal is forced through the door or opening between the curved portions 14 guide the outer end of the seal into proper place when the device is put in a locked position. On these accounts the springs 7 and 10 are the essential and governing members of the interlocking mechanism, no matter how much the other elements of the interlocking mechanism may be varied. On account of the resiliency of these two springs the perfect action of the seal whenever used is assured, for the outer end of the seal when forced into operative position must force its way .between these two springs, and when the perforation 4 passes t e lip 11, said lip immediately springs upward through the said perforation, while the spring 7 will always force itself and the lip 9 down through the perforation 4. By first forcing the outer end of the seal up; to the} head of the pocket and then drawing the ribbon outwardly, the end thereof is pulled over and below the lip 9, thus preventing unlocking and play, and the spring-tension of the curved portions 14 assists in securing the device in its locked position. The portion 2 is preferably formed with a short transverse groove or bul e 13.

When the lock-pocket is complete the two springs 7 and 10 are bent within the same and the lip 11 normally projects through the perforation 8'of the spring 7, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. At points where the springs 7 and 10 join with the parts 3 and 2, respectively, are closely-engaging bowed portions 14, between which is the door or opening passage for the loose end of the seal into the lock-pocket.

Fig. 5 shows the perforated end of the seal body or band slightly inserted into the lockpocket. Fig. 6 shows the said perforated end of the seal-body inserted into the lockpocket far enough to carry the lip 11 of the spring 10 out of the perforation 8 of the spring 7. The next ste of movement given to the perforated end the band 1 will force the same com letely to the to of the pocket, as shown by otted lines in; 'g. 7, in which position the beveled hp 9 is permitted to pass to the right through the perforation 4 and into engagement with the groove 13. Then by pulling outward on the perforated end of the seal the end portion thereof beyond the perforation 4 is drawn below the lower end of the oblique lip 9 and is forced against the in ner side of the lip 11 and will then be caught and held by the said two li s 9 and 11 and by the perforated portion of t e spring 7 in such manner that the perforated end of the sealbody 1 cannot then be moved either upward, downward, or laterally. This final interlocked position of the parts is shown in Fig.

reference to which it will be seen that the lips 12 engage the perforated portion of the spring 7 as stops to prevent the same and the sprin 10 from bein forced further laterally un er a downward strain or pulling action on the perforated end of the seal-body. It is also important to note that when the parts are interlocked, as shown in Fig. 7, the perforated end of the body 1 looks together the two springs or prongs 7 10, so that they cannot be separated. Hence if the locked end of the body 1 should be out off and the cut-off end again perforated it cannot be insort-ed into the pocket and locked by the said 7 springs.

What we claim, and desire to secure b {letters Patent of the United States, is as fo ows:

1. A seal constructed of a sin le piece of metal comprising a receiving-poo et at one end thereof, interlocking springs disposed within said pocket, and curved resilient portions arran ed at the mouth of the pocket and norma ly in contact to close entrance into the pocket, said piece of metal having at its other end a flat perforated head insertible into said pocket and adapted to be engaged and held by said interlocking lock-springs.

2. A seal constructed of a single metal comprising a receivin -poc et arranged at one end thereof, inter ocking locksprings disposed within said pocket, said springs being provided with curved resilient portions located at the mouth of the pocket and normally in contact to close said mouth; said piece of metal having at its other end a flat perforated head insertible into said pocket and ada ted to be engaged and held by said interloc ing lock-springs.

3. A car-seal constructed from a piece of fiat metal bent at one end to form a lockpocket and internal locksprings 7 and 10, said sprin 7 having the oblique loc -lips 9, and sai spring having the lock-lips 1 1 and 12,. said seal having at its other end a flat head perforated at 4, the said flat head being insertible into said lockpocket and being adapted to be enga ed by said look-lips 9 and 11, and to be thereby held against said sprin 7 in such manner that it cannotbe move in either direction,

erforation 8 and iece of IIO said lock-lip 11 being.then said perforation 8, substantia y as described. 4:. A car-seal constructed from a single iece of flat metal bent at one end to form a oak-pocket and internal lock-spring 7 and internal lock-spring 10, which springs 7 and 10 are out from the same piece of metal from which the seal is made and are bent and provided with the curved portions 14 adapted to give resiliency to said springs 7 and 10 and ada ted to close the door or opening into the poo et, before the seal is placed n a locked position, said s ring 7 having the erforation 8 and obli ue oak-lip 9, and sai spring 10 havlng the ock-lips 11 and 12, said seal having at its other end a flat head perforated at 4, the said flat head being insertible into the assed through said lock-pocket between said resilient curved 

